Beware Of False Prophets Series

Sermon on the Mount

Pt 14

Beware of False Prophets

Matthew 7:15-20

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 "Therefore by their fruits you will know them. [NKJV]

OPENING REMARKS

I. Deception

No one likes to be deceived.

No one likes being taken advantage of.

No one likes being conned!

1. It does not matter whether it is our personal lives (family & friends), our public lives (work, politics, etc.), or our spiritual lives (religious beliefs).

2. Because we do not like to be deceived most of us will become knowledgeable of the many situations we may be involved in order that we may know what is going on.

3. However and unfortunately, this is not as true concerning our spiritual lives. When dealing with religious matters most of us are trusting individuals. We find it easy to trust those who speak on behalf of God. Our thoughts are: Surely, when someone speaks on the behalf of God – They Must Be Telling the Truth!

II. Unfortunately | Telling the Truth | that is not the case w/deceivers.

Beginning with

. Book of Genesis (Ch. 3 – The serpent was more cunning …)

. OT – Deuteronomy 13:1-5 [see below]; Isaiah 30:9-10; Jeremiah Chs. 5-23, etc.)

. NT era (Acts 20:28-31a [see below]; Romans 16:17-20; Galatians 1:6-10; 2 Timothy 3:1-14; 2 Peter 2:1-17 [see below]; Jude vv. 4-10 – called false prophets/teachers)

. Today (Jesus Seminar Group; Name It & Claim It; Liberal Denominations/Prominent Churches – denying the Word of God) theses present themselves as the messengers of God – yet their message has been found not to be totally truthful – just enough mixture of truth and error to sound plausible to the average hearer.

1. Moses warned against:

Deuteronomy 13:1-5

If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, [2] and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, Let us go after other gods--which you have not known--and let us serve them, [3] you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams … that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the LORD your God … to entice you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst.

2. Paul warned against:

Acts 20:28-31a

Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch[.]

3. Peter warned against:

2 Peter 2:1-17

But there were also false prophets among the people [those who heard the prophetic word – 1:16-21], even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them … many will follow their destructive ways … by covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words …These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, to whom the gloom of darkness is reserved forever.

NOTE: Be aware that false prophets/teachers have and do exist. Just as their message was convincingly cunning in the beginning – so too is it just as gullible today. It is an easy thing to be cheated by those who know how to cheat. THE BLIND WILL LEAD THE BLIND EASILY DOWN THE BROAD ROAD OF DESTRUCTION (Ch. 7:13) W/O ANY OBSTACLES AT ALL TO HINDER THEIR JOURNEY!

Matthew 15:10-14

[10] Then He [Jesus] called the multitude and said to them, Hear and understand:

[11] Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.

[12] Then His disciples came and said to Him, Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?

[13] But He answered and said, Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.

[14] Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.